Christian Bale, Javier Bardem Shootout for 'Dark Tower' Gunslinger?

There are a lot of great films on the horizon, but one franchise that has us excited more than any other is Ron Howard's big screen adaptation of Stephen King's'The Dark Tower.' King's epic tale of gunslinger Roland Deschain's quest to find the fabled Dark Tower – a nexus of all the universes – has spanned multiple novels, spin-off books, and comics. It's a work that draws inspiration from Arthurian Legend, Tolkien's Middle Earth stories, Robert Browning's poem 'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came' and spaghetti westerns. It's a sprawling and epic creation that King cites as his magnum opus.

Naturally the idea of seeing these characters and their mythical world on the big screen has geeks frothing at the mouth in anticipation. Speculation is already running rampant as to which big Hollywood actors will land roles in the potential franchise – and it seems like some of Tinsel Town's biggest names are clamoring to be considered.